Yes, Count me In. I want to add my support to the 2021 Annual Community Campaign!

Thank you so very much for your support! Your generosity has enabled us to care for people in need and develop programs that strengthen our local community. We do this by promoting the efforts of synagogues in the Merrimack Valley, and perhaps equally vital, reaching out to Jews who are not engaged in congregational life. Research suggests that at least 50% of self-identified Jews are not members of religious institutions, yet the silver lining is that many of them yearn for Jewish connection.

These studies along with empirical evidence prompted the MVJF to develop our SPOTLIGHT on Jewish and Israeli Cultural Programming. We are pleased to share that before March 2020, our array of high quality, reasonably priced local programs were engaging folks in our target groups and finding new ways to fund our mission. Some examples:

• Last fall, The Jewish Film Club presented the film Golda’s Balcony to two sold out audiences and has now morphed into “sequester series” with members screening films and home and meeting via Zoom.
• We have a new “Jews in the Kitchen” club that has meet twice and is growing its participation.
• We have joined with other small Jewish Federations throughout the country to share programming, bringing high quality experiences to the Merrimack Valley from East to West coast and in between.
• And we are excited to offer a three-part “Jewish Humor Series” designed to bring some levity to these trying times.

We were really on a roll before the pandemic forced us to shut down programming and fundraising. This has left us facing tremendous challenges. The MVJF Board of Directors has had to reduce operating expenses and furlough staff, in order to survive through the end of our fiscal year in February 2021. Our existence beyond February is dependent upon our fundraising (pledges) between now and the end of December 2020. 

Our Annual Community Campaign for 2021 is named "BACK TO THE FUTURE: A YEAR TO REBUILD" for we believe the MVJF can continue to play a vital role in enriching the lives of local Jews. We are entrepreneurial and comfortable with change, and we pledge to find new ways to connect and engage with Jews in our community, however it is different during and after the pandemic.

The MVJF is the only pluralistic, non-religious organization serving Jews and those they love in the Merrimack Valley. Please join other donors who have sustained or increased their annual gift. Your support is crucial now, more than ever before. 

Thank You!